The PBA Press Corps honors top personalities who excelled in the season about to end when it holds its Annual Awards Night on Oct. 22 at the Gloria Maris restaurant inside the Gateway Mall at the Araneta Center in Cubao.
The 7 p.m. event will have a sense of nostalgia as it pays tribute to the late great mentor Virgilio ‘Baby’ Dalupan, in whose honor the Coach of the Year award has been named.
Close family members, players, league officials, and colleagues of the man they called ‘ Maestro’ have been invited to grace the affair presented by CIGNAL, to remember the champion coach of Crispa, Great Taste, and Purefoods, who passed away two months ago at the age of 92.
Dalupan won a total of 15 championships in the pro league – including the first ever grand slam in 1976 – an all-time record that was broken just recently by Barangay Ginebra coach Tim Cone.
The Baby Dalupan Coach of the Year award again serves as the highlight honor of the night, which San Miguel’s Leo Austria won a year ago.
Also to be handed out as major award is the Executive of the Year, which TNT KaTropa board of governor Patrick Gregorio was the recipient in 2015.
To be honored, as well, during the formal rite which had Chancellor as official outfitter are the Mighty Sports-Defensive Player of the Year, the Bogs Adornado Comeback Player, Mr. Quality Minutes, and Accel Order of Merit, automatically given to the player who emerged with the most number of Player of the Week honors won.
Other awards to be handed out are the scoring champion, Accel All-Rookie team, and the All-Interview team, which the PBAPC is reviving back for this year.
